“Lots of people say ’gaijin’ or ’ha-fu’ to me but I don’t really care now. I used to care though. When I was in hoikuen (daycare), I hated being ‘strange’ and I just wanted to be normal. But now I think being different is good. And speaking two languages is cool.” — Yuji, 12, UK/Japan
"I know that it used to bother my mum when people called us ’hafu’ when we were little, but it doesn’t offend me because it isn’t really used in a derogatory way. Now if it was ’gaijin’, I’d be upset. If people wanted to tease me at school, they would use gaijin. But hafu, on the other hand, tends to be associated with kawaii (cute). So for me, I guess it depends in what context the term is being used. When I was in elementary school, for a few years I did feel self-conscious about looking different from my Japanese classmates and speaking English. I used to secretly wish I had black hair. But lots of kids want to look different from how they are. It isn't just a hafu kid thing. When you’re a kid, it’s difficult to realize what a privilege it is to learn two languages, especially because you only start to realize the benefits when you’re a young adult. It becomes your identity and strength. I couldn’t be luckier.” — Reina Kittaka, 20, New Zealand/Japanese, university student
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